Battle on the high teas: Our panel unimpressed by posh brands

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Will it stand out in store? How do we compare with the competition? Are we offering value for money? Brands need to be asking themselves questions like this daily. So we asked our digital panel to give answers for four recent tea launches. Here’s how they stack up…

Twinings Everyday

The bright yellow explosion that is the Twinings Everyday tea packaging earned a big thumbs-up from our consumer panel. The words “sunshine” and “fresh” cropped up more than once as our panel described the tea’s presence on the shelf. Easy-to-open packaging and twin sealed foil packs inside also gained approval. The taste divided opinion: “bland” said some, while others found it eminently drinkable with a biscuit in hand. Where the panel agreed was on the price: Twinings Everday is a little too expensive. Five in nine would buy it again – most likely when they have guests round.

Typhoo Gold

Typhoo Gold made a moderate impact on our consumer panel, with its all-gold box and proud Union flag fluttering along the bottom. Consumers liked that the gold motif carried over onto the foil bags inside. But taste let the product down, generating a big ‘meh’ from our panel, who commented variously on its “ordinary”, “tangy”, “funny” taste. Nonetheless, two in three said they would buy it again – perhaps more as a standby than a go-to guy. “Makes me feel quite comfortable,” was one lukewarm verdict.

Tetley Estate Selection

Tetley seems to have come up with the perfectly camouflaged box of tea. Its Estate Selection, with plantation graphics and a purple label, “disappears into the everything”, according to one member of our panel, with the rest agreeing it was very hard to spot. Others complained the packaging was “flimsy” and – worst of all from Tetley’s point of view – resembled a PG Tips box. Its taste was found to be unpleasantly fruity with a “peculiar aftertaste”, although it hit the mark with a couple of consumers, who warmed to its “earthy” feel and aroma. But only three out of nine people would buy it again – and then, not as their main brew.

PG Tips The Fresh One

The product struggled to stand out from the other PG Tips teas on the shelf, according to our panel, with the word ‘Fresh’ not prominent enough. The packaging was deemed by one to be “ugly” and fell apart for another. Some found the taste too strong for a ‘fresh’ cup of tea; others were more enthusiastic, but wondered how it could prove its fresh credentials.

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